Mermaid's and Shadowhunter's (Under construction)
by FaustusianSutcliff
Summary: A love story. (Short chapters)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: In honor of finishing Positive's and Negative's (Almost finishing it lol) I've decided to start this. I hope you like it :)

Chapter 1:

Alec sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Jace try to thread the line for the fishing pole they were using. He chuckled a little as the blond swore and wordlessly held out his hand.

"I can do it," Jace told him.

"Really? Because you've been trying to do that for the past three hours," Alec pointed out. "We've already wasted enough time as it is."

Jace rolled his eyes and handed him the pole and Alec set down his bow, easily threading the line and tying the hook off at the end.

"What sort of bait should we use?" Jace asked.

"We're trying to catch a mermaid, not fish," Alec answered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pearl necklace.

"Izzy's going to kill you," Jace told him as he tied the jewelry to the hook.

"She'll get over it," Alec shrugged. "After all, we need a mermaid."

"The key to catching said mermaid, is to be very quiet."

Both males turned at the third voice and saw a young man perched on a rock, leaning back on his hands. His hair was wet and pushed back off his forehead.

"Also, there are merman, not that people seem to remember," he added. "I always thought shadowhunters were quiet, you two, so much talking."

Alec reached for his bow and he tsked.

"I wouldn't if I were you."

Alec held his hands up and glanced at Jace giving him a subtle nod. Jace nodded back and slowly edged out of the other's peripheral vision.

"I guess it wasn't the pearls that attracted you then?" Alec asked.

"Pearls are nice, don't get me wrong," he answered sitting up a little. His lower half was still hidden under the water but Alec could see the tips of his fin every time it poked the surface. "But a pretty face is more than enough for me. Why don't you come a little closer?"

Alec wasn't sure why but he stepped forward. He kept going forward until he was inches from the water.

"That's better," he smiled and sat up more as Alec got closer.

Alec could see the scales that stopped just below his navel. He still couldn't tell the color but they seemed to glisten either from the water or from the light. His eyes were yellowish green with thin oval shaped pupils. Long eyelashes, a lithe body, brown skin, and long black hair.

"Alec."

Jace's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he quickly held out his arms as the merman fell forward. He regained his balance and shifted him in his arms.

He carried him out of the water and to the glass box filled with water they had waiting and laid him inside closing the lid.

"You think there are enough air holes?" Jace asked securing the lid.

"He'll be fine," Alec answered as they picked up the box. "Just don't break it and we'll be good to go."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: In honor of finishing Positive's and Negative's (Almost finishing it lol) I've decided to start this. I hope you like it :)

Chapter 2:

Magnus gasped and shot up, hitting his head against the surface above him and opened his eyes. He was in a box. A glass box. A fish tank. Whatever it was it was small and cramped and he didn't like it. He was also alone.

His wrists were bound together with metal chains. He took a few deep breaths to keep himself calm and closed his eyes.

He opened his eyes, hearing footsteps and saw the two young men from before. The tall one with black hair and pale skin that looked even paler under the Institute's lighting and blue eyes. Bright blue eyes.

And the shorter. He had a halo of blond curls and golden eyes and pale skin. He looked like an angel to Magnus.

He recoiled as much as he could as they approached the box seeing him awake.

The blond walked over to the box and a whimper escaped Magnus's mouth. He paused and looked over at the dark haired male. He walked back over to him and they spoke in hushed tones glancing at him over their shoulders.

This time the dark haired one walked over to him. He knelt down in front of the box.

"We aren't going to hurt you," he assured him. "I'm going to take off the lid okay?"

Magnus nodded a little and watched his hands as he opened the latches and lifted the lid off of the glass box.

He sat back on his heels. "Better? Not so cramped?"

"...We don't thrive well in small spaces," Magnus murmured, sitting up.

He looked at his tail and saw his fins slightly bent.

"I'm sorry...not really a lot of things to hold a mermaid...man…" the other corrected himself."But we have a nice tank...it's large, in the back of the institute…"

"I'll pass," Magnus deadpanned. "Take me back to where you found me."

"We can't do that," he shook his head. "We need a person of your...kind…"

"Wha...what are you doing?" Magnus panicked and tensed as he stood up and lifted him out of the water.

"I told you, we have a tank, it's large, it's filled with water and well you can't stay in a box," he answered carrying him out of the room.

"Pu...put me down," Magnus put his hands on his chest and tried to get him to let go.

"I can't do that. Stop squirming you're slippery," he told him.

Magnus ignored him and kept squirming, his tail was dragging on the ground and it hurt having his scales scrape across the floor.

"I'm six foot three and if I drop you, it will be a long and hard fall on your ass, and I highly doubt you want that. Besides, we have a nice large tank that I'm sure you'll like."

"I'm not a fish, I am not a pet, you can't keep me in a tank…" Magnus replied.

"I'm pretty sure you'll die if you stay out of water," he told him as he opened the door.

Magnus crossed his arms over his chest and stayed quiet as he was carried down the hall. It felt to exposed.

"...What's your name?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "I'm allowed to know the name of my captor right?"

"You're not being kidnapped," he answered.

"Then let me go," Magnus replied.

"I'm Alec," he said instead. "The blond, that's my younger brother Jace." He opened another door and took off the shoes he was wearing before stepping into the room.

The center of it had a large circle with thick glass coming up from the bottom. Water was filled to the top and there were steps leading up to stairs that went into the circle itself.

"It's...small…" Magnus wrinkled his nose.

Alec rolled his eyes and walked closer to the tank. "It's also very deep," he told him. "See?"

"It's still small…" Magnus mumbled. "And my tails getting dry…"

Alec walked over to the steps and carefully carried him up them until he was level with the top of the tank and held him over the water. Magnus stared at the water before wordlessly diving in and swimming to the bottom.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: In honor of finishing Positive's and Negative's (Almost finishing it lol) I've decided to start this. I hope you like it :)

Chapter 3:

"He seems...lonely," Isabelle said as Alec walked over. "He hasn't moved from that spot, he hardly touches his food, and any time he comes to the surface is for a breath of air." She shook her head. "I don't like this Alec."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll be in the library, let me know if there's any change."

She nodded and he walked down the hall to the library. He went to one of the shelves and looked through them before grabbing the book he needed and sitting down.

"What sort of things do you like?" Alec asked, leaning against the glass.

"I like not living in a tank," Magnus answered. "I like seeing the sun and the moon and the stars and I like being able to get out of the water without worrying about shadowhunters…"

"I meant kelp or seaweed," Alec replied. "I thought it'd be a good idea to add somethings to the tank."

"I want fish...and sharks," Magnus replied.

"We can't fit sharks in here," Alec told him.

"Nurse sharks, two of them," Magnus held up two fingers. "And I want seaweed, and kelp and rocks...and a zebra shark. And fish. I like fish."

"So did the little mermaid," Alec snorted.

"The what?" Magnus titled his head to the side confused.

"Nothing, it's nothing, I'll see what I can do," he sighed.

"I eat seafood too you know…" Magnus added.

"I'll let Clary know," Alec told him before leaving.

Magnus watched him go and swam back down to the bottom of the tank. He curled up in the corner and leaned his head against the glass.

* * *

"Ragnor!" Magnus smiled as he saw the green warlock approached the tank and swam over.

"Magnus, how very like you to get caught," the green man deadpanned.

"It's not my fault," Magnus replied. "What are you doing here?"

"For protection wards," he answered. "They want them around the tank."

"What they think i'm going to drown them?" Magnus scoffed a little.

"No, they're for you," Ragnor answered. "You're a mermaid Magnus. Mermaids are very hard to come by."

"Why do they need even need a mermaid?" He asked watching Ragnor work.

"I'm not sure," he answered.

"Oh come on, you must have some little inkling as to why," Magnus replied. "Or else they wouldn't have called you."

He pouted when the warlock didn't say anything and saw Alec's figure standing over the water. He left him to continue his spells and swam up to the top.

"Why is Ragnor here?" Magnus asked.

"Protection runes," Alec answered carefully setting the small box he had down.

"What's in the box?" Magnus asked pulling himself out of the water more to look. He moved one of the flaps and saw small bags with water and fish.

"You said you liked fish," Alec answered. "So I got you some fish."

Magnus picked up one of the small bags and smiled. "You did."

"They guy at the store said you're supposed to keep them in the bags so they can adjust to the water," he added.

Magnus set the bag in the water and took out another.

"No sharks?" He asked.

"Do you know how hard it is to buy a shark?" Alec asked raising an eye brow. "You'll need to deal with the fish for now."

Magnus pouted a little and nudged one of the bags with a finger. "Fine…can I take them out now?"

Alec nodded. "Go ahead."

Magnus carefully untied each bag and the fish darted off. He put the bags in the box and watched curiously as Alec picked up a small bag of seeds.

"Kelp seeds, and sea weed seeds," he answered.

"Seeds?" He asked.

"Yes. Just burry them under the dirt and sand at the bottom and they're grow.

Magnus nodded a little. "Okay…" he took the seeds. "Anything else?"

"I'm making dinner...anything particular you want?" Alec asked.

"Fish," he answered. "Maybe sushi."

"I can't make sushi…" Alec answered.

"Cooked fish is fine to," Magnus gave him a small smile.

Alec nodded and left the room.

"I know that look," Ragnor said walking into the room.

"I don't have a look," Magnus replied.

"That's your 'I like him' look,'" Ragnor pointed out.

"So what if I do?" He asked leaning against the glass. "It's not a crime…"

"He's a shadowhunter Magnus. His kind literally hunts yours," Ragnor reminded him. "It wouldn't work between the two of you."

Magnus rolled his eyes. "You're always such a downer…"

"I'm looking out for you," Ragnor replied. "And your track record with men...and woman has not always been the best."

Magnus waved his hand dismissively. He looked down at the fish swimming around in the water and picked one up by its tail.

"So what if I like a shadow hunter," he mused. "He bought me fish."

He set it back in the water and stretched out his tail so it hung over the edge of the tank and picked a few dead scales off.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: In honor of finishing Positive's and Negative's (Almost finishing it lol) I've decided to start this. I hope you like it :)

Chapter 4:

Alec yawned as he walked down the hall to his room and paused when he heard light singing. It was noticeably off key but it wasn't terrible. He followed it down the hall and saw the door to the tank room slightly open and peeked in.

" _Upon one summer's morning, I carelessly did stray, down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay, conversing with a bouncing lass, who seem'd to be in pain, saying, William, when you go, I fear you will ne'er return again."_

Alec knocked on the door and heard a soft splash as Magnus slipped back into the water and saw him resting against the glass.

"I heard you singing…" Alec said, walking over.

"I sound terrible I know," Magnus replied. "I've never been much of a musician."

"What was their name?" Alec asked, sitting on the steps leading up to the tank.

"Camille…" Magnus answered. "Beautiful young woman...I loved her, she didn't feel the same way about me…"

"Were there others? Aside from her?"

"There were a few." Magnus nodded a little bit. "They were more or less little simple flings really...a few I thought I could spend my life with, but in the end, they all wanted different things. And...those things just never included me."

"I'm sorry…" Alec frowned.

"Such is life," Magnus gave him a small smile. "Why are you still up?"

"Phone meeting with the Clave," Alec answered. "It ran late."

"Why am I here, Alexander? I deserve to know why I'm being held captive…" Magnus sat up a little. "Just tell me and I'll stop asking."

"I can't tell you, not yet, I'm sorry," Alec stood up and stopped as Magnus grabbed his arm.

There was pleading in his eyes, a vulnerability that made Alec's chest clench a little. He reached down and gently pried his hand off of his arm.

"Nothing bad is going to happen to you while you are here. I promise you that."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Because my room is right through there," Alec answered, pointing to the door on the far end of the room. "Anything happens, I'll hear it."

"That's...reassuring," Magnus nodded a little bit.

"I'm glad," Alec replied. "I'll see you in the morning okay?"

"Pleasant dreams, Alexander," Magnus smiled a little as he got up and walked out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: In honor of finishing Positive's and Negative's (Almost finishing it lol) I've decided to start this. I hope you like it :)

Chapter 5:

Alec sat up and rubbed his eyes, hearing noises in the room next door and looked over at his clock. It was nearing two in the morning and way too early for this. He sighed and got up, putting on his slippers and grabbing the dagger he kept on the nightstand before making his way to the door.

He tried the knob and frowned a little when it didn't budge. He pressed more of his weight against it and tried it again. Alec stepped back and raised his leg, kicking the door hard and stepped back as it swung on the hinges.

Alec walked over to the switch on the wall and flicked it on. He swore and ran over, seeing Magnus just floating in the water. He climbed up the steps and tried to lift the lid covering the tank and started using the blunt end of the dagger to try and break it.

"Alec...what are you doing?" Isabelle yawned, walking into the room.

"Somone sealed the lid on the tank," he answered. "We need something to break the glass."

He took the stairs two at a time and ran back to his room, going through his weapons case and picking up one of the metal-tipped pole arms. He ran back to the room and brought the weapon down on the top of the lid repeatedly until the glass finally gave out and broke.

"Give me a hand," he said after he broke more glass. He got into the water and swam over to Magnus.

Isabelle reached out and helped him get Magnus out of the water. Alec pulled himself out of the water and pushed back some of Magnus's hair and checked for a pulse.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked kneeling down next to him.

"We need to get him to the infirmary," he answered.

"Alec…" Isabelle looked down.

Alec followed her gaze and watched as Magnus's scales and tail started to recede and he was left with two legs. Scales only faintly visible on his skin now.

"I'll take him to the infirmary, you call Ragnor," Alec told her as he carefully picked Magnus up.

* * *

Magnus groaned softly and coughed as he started coming to. He winced a little and opened his eyes looking around.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Ragnor said, setting down his book.

"What happened?" Magnus asked, slowly sitting up. "Wh...my legs…" he hesitantly reached down and touched few scales covering his legs.

"You aren't a full mermaid," Alec pointed out, walking into the room. "Otherwise...you wouldn't have grown legs when I pulled you out of the water."

Magnus kept his mouth shut and drew his legs to his chest. He looked away as Alec walked over.

"I'm going to take my leave now," Ragnor said, standing up.

"Are you going to say anything?" Alec asked.

"...You didn't keep your promise," Magnus answered.

"I'm sorry…" Alec ran a hand through his hair. "Did...you see who attacked you?"

"No...I just couldn't sleep so I came up to just sit and think and I felt hands around my neck. They were...cold...like ice and hurt...I couldn't breathe, I tried to fight back and then, I couldn't..after that," Magnus shrugged a little bit. "I don't understand any of this. Why you need me here. Why I was attacked...I don't get it…"

Alec sighed. "We're studying you, your kind. Because sightings of merfolk anywhere are very rare, we want to gain as much information as we can….but I do not have an answer for why you were attacked. I'm so sorry that it happened to you and if I could've prevented it I would've and I swear I'm not going to let it happen again.


End file.
